sygyzy wrote:I am somewhat irreponsible when it comes to tea inventory. Right now I can see at least 3 dozen containers of tea that are "open." They are in airtight containers, but they are all out of factory sealed bags. I like being able to choose from different teas. I don't think I could stand having a tea I waited for for so long (Midori Shincha) just sitting there while I hurriedly finished the other teas before I got to it.

You seem pretty hardcore with your separation of small batches, refrigeration, etc.

Heheheh, you sound too much like me.

I have around 80 of these sample tins that cost around 50 cents when bought by the dozen. I used to have all of these filled, and still not enough tins. So, this meant I had over 80 teas open at a time. I did this because I had to constantly try more and more teas, but also because I NEED VARIETY.

I have been converted to a freshness freak who still battles his craving for variety. So, I changed my ways, became focused on greens. I will have usually 2-4 Chinese greens open at one time and around 2-4 Japanese greens open at a time. I will also have a few oolong open.

I can tell you one thing, I am much happier and less stressed about all the tea I have open. But now I stress over freshness and how many teas I can cram onto the bottom shelf of my fridge. I have even stolen my parents cube fridge thinking I will dedicate this to storing tea...IS THIS SICK!!!???!!!

So, the Yutaka Midori is already triple bagged in my fridge. I will open it just before my other 2 open shincha are gone so I can do some comparing.

What is your method for keeping things fresh? I know you measure out of a small container and keep the large batch sealed seperately and only open it once in a while to refill the small guy.

I'd like to know specifically what your big container is and which your small one is. I assume the small is the Upton sample tin? How far do you go sealing each? Is the large one in your climate control cellar?

You're habits are rubbing off on me, a bit. I put the Midori Shincha in a small double-lided Stash container but moved a portion of it into an Upton container. I will only brew from the sample tin until I have to refill. Hopefully this keeps things fresher.

Well, if I tell you, then anyone and everyone will know how sick I truly am for as long as this forum exists. But if they do not know by now...besides, I think just about all of us are obsessed one way or another with regards to tea.

So, yes, I put the tea for everyday use into the Upton sample tins. For most teas, this is around 10 sessions.

I leave the reserve in its original bag, folded over and clipped, getting as much air out as possible without damaging the leaf. This bag, I will put into the standard size foil lined zip lock from Upton, before sealing, again removing as much air as possible. I then put this into a regular zip lock bag. This is as sealed as you can get and exposed to as little air as possible.

Most open green teas I use up completely within 30-60 days. So, this could be left at room temp without much harm. I only open this to refill my sample tin.

Now, this is going against what you will read, I put this on the bottom shelf of my fridge. This is so sealed, so I feel pretty safe doing this. I have been doing this for almost a year, and have had some open bags in the fridge this way for over 6 months. I feel pretty confident doing this with my tea, but I will not recommend others do it because if you mess up, you could ruin the tea. When I need to refill my tin, I take it out for several hours before opening to prevent any condensation.

Unopen tea, I follow a similar route. Some unopen bags do not want to fit into the Upton zip lock bag. Really, is triple bagging necessary for unopen tea before placing it in the fridge, probably not. But I do it anyway.

I will start using the cube fridge for 2 reasons. 1) no odors 2)colder. The bottom shelf of my fridge is around 42*F. Too warm for me. Plus the door is opened so many times. I will get it down to 33* in the cube fridge...and then I can sleep peacefully at night.